This low level 'find someone who' handout focuses students' learning on 'have got' and everyday objects. Students write questions with 'have got' and the objects, later asking and answering questions, practising have got as a result.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students must first write questions with have got and the objects appearing in the pictures. Depending on the ability of the students, the questions can be checked at this stage.

3. Next, tell them to stand up and mingle and to get a different person to answer every question. Provide students with necessary examples to encourage them to speak. Allow students the time necessary to get the required amount of answers from their fellow students.

5. Finally, elicit responses from some of the students and draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students must first write questions with have got and the objects appearing in the pictures. Depending on the ability of the students, the questions can be checked at this stage.

3. Next, tell them to stand up and mingle and to get a different person to answer every question. Provide students with necessary examples to encourage them to speak. Allow students the time necessary to get the required amount of answers from their fellow students.

5. Finally, elicit responses from some of the students and draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

Type:

An individual writing task

Level:

Starter

Time:

15 minutes

Skill:

Writing

Work:

Students work individually

Stage:

Controlled grammar writing practice

Focus:

Prepositions of Place

Maps and directions form the theme of this writing task using prepositions of place. Students complete short descriptions of places from a map of Canterbury, England.

1. Copy one sheet for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students must look at the map and write the location of the places using the prepositions of place given.

3. Monitor the students, and when appropriate provide any necessary individual language or vocabulary input.

4. Give students a warning when their time limit is about to expire and then insist on pens down and heads up.

5. For feedback, there are a number of options including students writing some/all of the answers on the board, students orally contributing their answers etc.

6. Draw the students' attention to any specific mistakes which seem prevalent through the work and offer language input.

1. Copy one sheet for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students must look at the map and write the location of the places using the prepositions of place given.

3. Monitor the students, and when appropriate provide any necessary individual language or vocabulary input.

4. Give students a warning when their time limit is about to expire and then insist on pens down and heads up.

5. For feedback, there are a number of options including students writing some/all of the answers on the board, students orally contributing their answers etc.

6. Draw the students' attention to any specific mistakes which seem prevalent through the work and offer language input.

Type:

A vocabulary challenge

Level:

Starter

Time:

10 minutes

Skill:

Writing

Work:

Students work individually

Stage:

Vocabulary writing practice

Focus:

Past Simple Irregular Verbs

Perhaps you have just broken to everybody that many of the most important verbs in the past simple positive are irregular. Well, this vocabulary handout gets students practising this, and is grounded in solid methodology, requiring students to differentiate them with the past simple negative (which uses the infinitive).

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students look at the negative and question forms in the past simple and write the affirmative form using the past simple verb and the pronoun.

3. Monitor the students, and when appropriate provide any necessary individual language or vocabulary input.

4. For feedback, ask students to contribute their answers by writing some/all of the answers on the board, or by orally contributing them as a group.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students look at the negative and question forms in the past simple and write the affirmative form using the past simple verb and the pronoun.

3. Monitor the students, and when appropriate provide any necessary individual language or vocabulary input.

4. For feedback, ask students to contribute their answers by writing some/all of the answers on the board, or by orally contributing them as a group.

Type:

A pair work activity

Level:

Starter

Time:

10 minutes

Skill:

Speaking

Work:

Students work in pairs

Stage:

Controlled grammar speaking practice

Focus:

Imperatives

If you want to practise imperatives beyond the limitations of 'Simon Says' use this great handout that actually gets students using imperatives themselves. The emphasis is on accuracy here, with students correcting (obvious) mistakes in selected imperatives.

1. Copy one handout per pair of students, and cut the handouts up into A and B.

2. Put the students into pairs with an A and B student, and distribute the handouts.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions and make sure students aren't looking at each other's sheets.

4. Get students to read the mistaken imperatives to their partner, who corrects the mistake in the imperative. Exemplify heavily to ensure understanding. Make sure students realise they have the correct answer written below in italics.

6. Finally, draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

1. Copy one handout per pair of students, and cut the handouts up into A and B.

2. Put the students into pairs with an A and B student, and distribute the handouts.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions and make sure students aren't looking at each other's sheets.

4. Get students to read the mistaken imperatives to their partner, who corrects the mistake in the imperative. Exemplify heavily to ensure understanding. Make sure students realise they have the correct answer written below in italics.

6. Finally, draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

Type:

A pronunciation activity

Level:

Starter

Time:

10 minutes

Skill:

Pronunciation

Work:

Students work individually

Stage:

Pronunciation practice

Focus:

/u:/, /ʌ/ and /ʊ/

For a maze that introduces three of the sounds commonly used with the letter 'u', this pronunciation handout makes great sense. Grant as much autonomy as you like with this fun activity practising the difference between /ʊ/ /ʌ/ /u:/.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions and the start square. Drill with students the start word 'up' and the sound /ʌ/ necessary for them to complete the maze. Explain to students that they must find their way through the maze by using words only with the /ʌ/ sound.

3. When most students have finished, get them to guide you through it, using the opportunity as a chance to practise pronunciation through drilling.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions and the start square. Drill with students the start word 'up' and the sound /ʌ/ necessary for them to complete the maze. Explain to students that they must find their way through the maze by using words only with the /ʌ/ sound.

3. When most students have finished, get them to guide you through it, using the opportunity as a chance to practise pronunciation through drilling.

Type:

A set of pelmanism cards

Level:

Kids

Time:

15 minutes

Skill:

Speaking

Work:

Students work in groups of 3-4

Stage:

Vocabulary speaking practice

Focus:

Vegetables

Download this 24 card set of vegetables pelmanism cards, perfect for playing this well known memory-based vocabulary game. The set contains 12 vocabulary items, represented in both picture and word or phrase. Great for other ELT card games such as Snap!, Pictionary, Charades, and Taboo.

1. Copy one set the cards for each group of 3-4 learners.

2. Make a circle with your students and demonstrate the activity with some of the stronger students. Place the cards face down. Instruct the learners to reveal a card and say the word or picture. They then uncover another card. If the pair match, they keep the pair and go again. If the pair do not match, the next person clockwise goes. The winner is the player with the most pairs.

3. Separate the learners into groups, distribute the cards and let them get on with it. Monitor the learners, helping them with any words that pose difficulties. Adjudicate any disputes, should they arise.

4. When the pelmanism games have run their course, end the activity and elicit feedback from the learners.

1. Copy one set the cards for each group of 3-4 learners.

2. Make a circle with your students and demonstrate the activity with some of the stronger students. Place the cards face down. Instruct the learners to reveal a card and say the word or picture. They then uncover another card. If the pair match, they keep the pair and go again. If the pair do not match, the next person clockwise goes. The winner is the player with the most pairs.

3. Separate the learners into groups, distribute the cards and let them get on with it. Monitor the learners, helping them with any words that pose difficulties. Adjudicate any disputes, should they arise.

4. When the pelmanism games have run their course, end the activity and elicit feedback from the learners.

Type:

Flashcards

Level:

Kids

Time:

15 minutes

Skill:

Speaking/Listening

Work:

Students work together as a whole class

Stage:

Vocabulary presentation/review

Focus:

Toys

This file contains a set of 12 A6 size full colour toys flashcards, two per side of A4. These are ideal for presenting new language to young learners, or revising already taught words and phrases through various flashcard games you can play.

The flashcards can be used as follows:1. To teach the language, have the learners sit around you in a circle. Slowly reveal a card and elicit the word from the whole class or individual students. Model the pronunciation and drill the word. Put the flashcard at the back of the pile or face down on the floor. Continue through the cycle of cards until you’ve done them all. Go through the cycle again, trying to elicit the words from students’ memories. You don’t have to do every card – you could pick some at random.

2. If you were laying the flashcards on the floor as you went through them, you can nominate the learners to try to recall the words, either in reverse or in normal order. If the learners find this too easy, why not shuffle the cards face down slowly, with the learners following where each one is going. Then elicit the covered flashcards.

3. ‘Flashcard pass’ is a game where you can pass the cards clockwise in a circle. Each time the learner gets a card, they say the word out loud. Start with one card and build up to having multiple cards in circulation.

4. ‘Guess the flashcard’ is a game where the teacher, sitting in a circle with the learners, holds a secret flashcard. The learners take it in turns to guess the word on the card that the teacher is holding. If the learner makes a duplicate guess, they are ‘out’. The winner is the child who accumulates the most correctly guessed flashcards.

5. ‘Flashcard Tiddlywinks’ involves the teacher laying out the flashcards face up on the floor. The learners, individually or in teams, flip plastic bingo chips or coins and have to say the appropriate word the coin lands on. To make the game competitive, the first learner to say the word, if playing in teams, wins.

6. ‘Flashcard hunt’ is a kinaesthetic game where you hide the flashcards around the room. With the children standing up in a circle around you, say ‘find me…’ and the name of one of the flashcards. The first learner or team of learners to find it and brings it to you wins a point. If any learners bring the wrong cards, they lose a point.

The flashcards can be used as follows:1. To teach the language, have the learners sit around you in a circle. Slowly reveal a card and elicit the word from the whole class or individual students. Model the pronunciation and drill the word. Put the flashcard at the back of the pile or face down on the floor. Continue through the cycle of cards until you’ve done them all. Go through the cycle again, trying to elicit the words from students’ memories. You don’t have to do every card – you could pick some at random.

2. If you were laying the flashcards on the floor as you went through them, you can nominate the learners to try to recall the words, either in reverse or in normal order. If the learners find this too easy, why not shuffle the cards face down slowly, with the learners following where each one is going. Then elicit the covered flashcards.

3. ‘Flashcard pass’ is a game where you can pass the cards clockwise in a circle. Each time the learner gets a card, they say the word out loud. Start with one card and build up to having multiple cards in circulation.

4. ‘Guess the flashcard’ is a game where the teacher, sitting in a circle with the learners, holds a secret flashcard. The learners take it in turns to guess the word on the card that the teacher is holding. If the learner makes a duplicate guess, they are ‘out’. The winner is the child who accumulates the most correctly guessed flashcards.

5. ‘Flashcard Tiddlywinks’ involves the teacher laying out the flashcards face up on the floor. The learners, individually or in teams, flip plastic bingo chips or coins and have to say the appropriate word the coin lands on. To make the game competitive, the first learner to say the word, if playing in teams, wins.

6. ‘Flashcard hunt’ is a kinaesthetic game where you hide the flashcards around the room. With the children standing up in a circle around you, say ‘find me…’ and the name of one of the flashcards. The first learner or team of learners to find it and brings it to you wins a point. If any learners bring the wrong cards, they lose a point.

Type:

A set of pelmanism cards

Level:

Kids

Time:

15 minutes

Skill:

Speaking

Work:

Students work in groups of 3-4

Stage:

Vocabulary speaking practice

Focus:

Transport

Download this 24 card set of transport pelmanism cards, perfect for playing this well known memory-based vocabulary game. The set contains 12 vocabulary items, represented in both picture and word or phrase. Great for other ELT card games such as Snap!, Pictionary, Charades, and Taboo.

1. Copy one set the cards for each group of 3-4 learners.

2. Make a circle with your students and demonstrate the activity with some of the stronger students. Place the cards face down. Instruct the learners to reveal a card and say the word or picture. They then uncover another card. If the pair match, they keep the pair and go again. If the pair do not match, the next person clockwise goes. The winner is the player with the most pairs.

3. Separate the learners into groups, distribute the cards and let them get on with it. Monitor the learners, helping them with any words that pose difficulties. Adjudicate any disputes, should they arise.

4. When the pelmanism games have run their course, end the activity and elicit feedback from the learners.

1. Copy one set the cards for each group of 3-4 learners.

2. Make a circle with your students and demonstrate the activity with some of the stronger students. Place the cards face down. Instruct the learners to reveal a card and say the word or picture. They then uncover another card. If the pair match, they keep the pair and go again. If the pair do not match, the next person clockwise goes. The winner is the player with the most pairs.

3. Separate the learners into groups, distribute the cards and let them get on with it. Monitor the learners, helping them with any words that pose difficulties. Adjudicate any disputes, should they arise.

4. When the pelmanism games have run their course, end the activity and elicit feedback from the learners.

Type:

Flashcards

Level:

Kids

Time:

15 minutes

Skill:

Speaking/Listening

Work:

Students work together as a whole class

Stage:

Vocabulary presentation/review

Focus:

Sea Life

This file contains a set of 12 A4 size full colour sea animals flashcards, great for presenting new vocabulary and phrases to young learners, or revising already taught words and phrases through numerous flashcard games you can play.

The flashcards can be used as follows:1. To teach the language, have the learners sit around you in a circle. Slowly reveal a card and elicit the word from the whole class or individual students. Model the pronunciation and drill the word. Put the flashcard at the back of the pile or face down on the floor. Continue through the cycle of cards until you’ve done them all. Go through the cycle again, trying to elicit the words from students’ memories. You don’t have to do every card – you could pick some at random.

2. If you were laying the flashcards on the floor as you went through them, you can nominate the learners to try to recall the words, either in reverse or in normal order. If the learners find this too easy, why not shuffle the cards face down slowly, with the learners following where each one is going. Then elicit the covered flashcards.

3. ‘Flashcard pass’ is a game where you can pass the cards clockwise in a circle. Each time the learner gets a card, they say the word out loud. Start with one card and build up to having multiple cards in circulation.

4. ‘Guess the flashcard’ is a game where the teacher, sitting in a circle with the learners, holds a secret flashcard. The learners take it in turns to guess the word on the card that the teacher is holding. If the learner makes a duplicate guess, they are ‘out’. The winner is the child who accumulates the most correctly guessed flashcards.

5. ‘Flashcard Tiddlywinks’ involves the teacher laying out the flashcards face up on the floor. The learners, individually or in teams, flip plastic bingo chips or coins and have to say the appropriate word the coin lands on. To make the game competitive, the first learner to say the word, if playing in teams, wins.

6. ‘Flashcard hunt’ is a kinaesthetic game where you hide the flashcards around the room. With the children standing up in a circle around you, say ‘find me…’ and the name of one of the flashcards. The first learner or team of learners to find it and brings it to you wins a point. If any learners bring the wrong cards, they lose a point.

The flashcards can be used as follows:1. To teach the language, have the learners sit around you in a circle. Slowly reveal a card and elicit the word from the whole class or individual students. Model the pronunciation and drill the word. Put the flashcard at the back of the pile or face down on the floor. Continue through the cycle of cards until you’ve done them all. Go through the cycle again, trying to elicit the words from students’ memories. You don’t have to do every card – you could pick some at random.

2. If you were laying the flashcards on the floor as you went through them, you can nominate the learners to try to recall the words, either in reverse or in normal order. If the learners find this too easy, why not shuffle the cards face down slowly, with the learners following where each one is going. Then elicit the covered flashcards.

3. ‘Flashcard pass’ is a game where you can pass the cards clockwise in a circle. Each time the learner gets a card, they say the word out loud. Start with one card and build up to having multiple cards in circulation.

4. ‘Guess the flashcard’ is a game where the teacher, sitting in a circle with the learners, holds a secret flashcard. The learners take it in turns to guess the word on the card that the teacher is holding. If the learner makes a duplicate guess, they are ‘out’. The winner is the child who accumulates the most correctly guessed flashcards.

5. ‘Flashcard Tiddlywinks’ involves the teacher laying out the flashcards face up on the floor. The learners, individually or in teams, flip plastic bingo chips or coins and have to say the appropriate word the coin lands on. To make the game competitive, the first learner to say the word, if playing in teams, wins.

6. ‘Flashcard hunt’ is a kinaesthetic game where you hide the flashcards around the room. With the children standing up in a circle around you, say ‘find me…’ and the name of one of the flashcards. The first learner or team of learners to find it and brings it to you wins a point. If any learners bring the wrong cards, they lose a point.

Type:

A set of pelmanism cards

Level:

Kids

Time:

15 minutes

Skill:

Speaking

Work:

Students work in groups of 3-4

Stage:

Vocabulary speaking practice

Focus:

Sea Life

Download this 24 card set of sea animals pelmanism cards, perfect for playing this well known memory-based vocabulary game. The set contains 12 vocabulary items, represented in both picture and word or phrase. Great for other ELT card games such as Snap!, Pictionary, Charades, and Taboo.

1. Copy one set the cards for each group of 3-4 learners.

2. Make a circle with your students and demonstrate the activity with some of the stronger students. Place the cards face down. Instruct the learners to reveal a card and say the word or picture. They then uncover another card. If the pair match, they keep the pair and go again. If the pair do not match, the next person clockwise goes. The winner is the player with the most pairs.

3. Separate the learners into groups, distribute the cards and let them get on with it. Monitor the learners, helping them with any words that pose difficulties. Adjudicate any disputes, should they arise.

4. When the pelmanism games have run their course, end the activity and elicit feedback from the learners.

1. Copy one set the cards for each group of 3-4 learners.

2. Make a circle with your students and demonstrate the activity with some of the stronger students. Place the cards face down. Instruct the learners to reveal a card and say the word or picture. They then uncover another card. If the pair match, they keep the pair and go again. If the pair do not match, the next person clockwise goes. The winner is the player with the most pairs.

3. Separate the learners into groups, distribute the cards and let them get on with it. Monitor the learners, helping them with any words that pose difficulties. Adjudicate any disputes, should they arise.

4. When the pelmanism games have run their course, end the activity and elicit feedback from the learners.